Five Women Scholars Honored With Prestigious Awards

Mary Elizabeth Hatten, the Frederick P. Rose Professor of Developmental Neurobiology at Rockefeller University in New York City, received the 2017 Ralph W. Gerard Prize from the Society for Neuroscience. The award honors lifetime achievement in the field.

Professor Hatten joined the faculty at Rockefeller University in 1992 and is the first woman to lead a research laboratory at the university. She is a graduate of Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia, and holds a Ph.D. in biochemical sciences from Princeton University.

Laura Micheletti Puaca, an associate professor of history at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia, won the 2017 Margaret W. Rossiter History of Women in Science Award from the History of Science Society. Dr. Puaca was honored for her book Searching for Scientific Womanpower: Technocratic Feminism and the Politics of National Security, 1940-1980 (University of North Carolina Press, 2014).

Dr. Puaca is a graduate of Rutgers University in New Jersey, where she majored in history and women’s studies. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Beth Wilson, a professor of systems engineering in the Corporate & Professional Education division of Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts, received the 2017 Exemplary Teaching Award from the University Professional & Continuing Educational Association.

Dr. Wilson is a graduate of the University at Buffalo of the State University of New York System. She holds a master’s degree from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, and a Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Rhode Island.

Nicole Lautze, a researcher at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, won the 2017 Clean Energy Education and Empowerment Education Award from the Clean Energy Ministerial, a group of 25 countries who are leading the transition to clean energy technologies.

Dr. Lautze is a summa cum laude graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles, where she majored in geology. She holds a Ph.D. in geology and geophysics from the University of Hawaii.

Kelli McMahan, associate clinical professor and coordinator of outdoor education and leadership at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, received the 2017 Paul K. Petzoldt Leadership Award from the Wilderness Education Association.

Dr. McMahan is a graduate of Baylor University. She holds a master’s degree from Oklahoma State University and a Ph.D. in recreation, park, and tourism sciences from Texas A&M University.

Related Articles

Latest News

Data Shows High Attrition Rates for Women in STEM Degree Programs

For women who began their four-year college career in a STEM discipline, 14 percent dropped out of college and 32 percent switched to a non-STEM major before earning their degree.

Monique Guillory Named Ninth President of Dillard University

Dr. Guillory has served as Dillard University's interim president for the past seven months. Her background includes over three decades of higher education administration experience.

Lynne Coy-Organ Is the First Woman President of Husson University

Lynne Coy-Organ has been named the first woman president of Husson University in Maine. She has served as the university's provost and senior vice president for academic affairs for the past 15 years.

Donna Hedgepath Will Be the First Woman President of Wayland Baptist University

Current provost of Campbellsville University in Kentucky, Donna Hedgepath, has been named president of Wayland Baptist University in Texas, making her the first woman to be selected for the position.

Three Women Scholars Appointed to Provost Positions

The new provosts are Elizabeth Dumont at the University of California, Merced, Marguerite Giguette at Xavier University in New Orleans, and Margaret Brown Marsden at Midwestern State University in Texas.

MOSDOH – Dean of the Missouri School of Dentistry & Oral Health

The dean serves as the chief academic and administrative officer for MOSDOH, leading a mission-driven dental school known for innovation, community partnerships, and service to the underserved.

Vice President for Administrative Services and Chief Financial Officer

The successful candidate will have a strong financial and administrative background and demonstrated ability to excel in a fast-paced, dynamic and complex community college that values integrity, excellence, empowerment, inclusiveness, collaboration and stewardship.

Instructional Professor in Law, Letters, and Society (Open Rank)

The Social Sciences Collegiate Division at the University of Chicago is now accepting applications for a full-time Instructional Professor who will teach in the program in Law, Letters, and Society.

Instructor, Economics

The Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics at the University of Chicago invites applications for tenure-track faculty positions in Economics at the Instructor position level to begin in the 2025-26 academic year and is renewable for up to three years.

Vice Chancellor for Student Success

The Vice Chancellor for Student Success will be a strategic, student-centered, data-informed, systems thinker who thrives in a fast paced, high-achieving environment.